


Five Days

by SpicyPepper_SweetSugar



Series: Five [2]
Category: From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Lots of issues and lots of things, Post-Amaru (From Dusk Till Dawn), Post-Canon, Post-Season/Series 03, Psychological Trauma, SethKate - Freeform, Slow Burn, Unresolved Emotional Tension, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Unresolved Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-28
Updated: 2017-11-19
Packaged: 2018-10-12 05:31:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 19,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10483149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpicyPepper_SweetSugar/pseuds/SpicyPepper_SweetSugar
Summary: Early next morning, they are on the road again.The sun is still painting the sky in bright colors as Seth drives them down the highway. There are no other cars in sight and for once, Kate is thankful that Seth decided to direct them to a less traveled road. She’s not sure where they are going, but she does know that an unspoken agreement has been made between the three of them not to discuss the fact that Kate is clearly going with them.However, that is not the only thing they don’t speak of.***(Or: It takes Kate five days to fall into bed with Seth again after that first night.)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone!  
> This story is an immediate follow up of the first story in this series named "Five Years". As you can see, I am continuing with the theme of "Five" with this one too (and the other stories I have planned for this series!). Either way, this is just the first chapter. I have the second one almost finished, but I am also currently writing my thesis, so I don't know how often I'll be able to write and update. I am hoping that I'll be able to keep to updating once a week. This story will also have five chapters in total, and remember, this series is a SLOW BURN. In other words: it will be torture.  
> I hope you enjoy this first chapter! The second one will be more focused on Kate and Richie's friendship and we'll see something from Richie's point of view! :) xx

#  Chapter 1

Early next morning, they are on the road again.

The sun is still painting the sky in bright colors as Seth drives them down the highway. There are no other cars in sight and for once, Kate is thankful that Seth decided to direct them to a less traveled road. She’s not sure where they are going, but she does know that an unspoken agreement has been made between the three of them not to discuss the fact that Kate is clearly going with them.

However, that is not the only thing they don’t speak of.

Kate looked over at Richie who was sitting in the front next to Seth. The younger Gecko nodded along lightly to the song that was playing low on the radio, looking relaxed. If he had overheard her and Seth’s conversation from the night before, he hadn’t said anything about it. Kate was sure that if he hadn’t said anything until now, he most likely wouldn’t say anything at all on the matter. When she and Seth had stepped out of the bedroom that had been meant to be just hers, Richie had been standing behind the counter, eating a candybar. He had looked up at them, but Kate hadn’t seen any confusion pass over his face, so he clearly wasn’t surprised by her and Seth sleeping in the same bed the night before. 

She wasn’t really sure how she felt about that.

Kate couldn’t get it out of her head; how well she had slept in Seth’s arms. She couldn’t remember that it had ever been like that before, back in Mexico. They had shared a bed back then too when they hadn’t been able to afford anything bigger, but she had hardly been able to sleep due to the thoughts circling around inside of her head. At times, she had woken up with Seth gone and a feeling in the pit of her stomach… The kind of feeling that told her that nothing was fine. Still, back then she’d had no other choice but to believe, that maybe one day, they eventually would be all right.

Waking up with Seth still in bed, his arms curled around her, his hot breath on her neck as his thumbs gently stroked her skin had been entirely different. Kate had been plagued by nightmares ever since she left the brothers five years ago to try and find herself again and she could count on one hand how many of all those nights that she had slept through entirely. The night before, she had felt at peace and this morning, something inside of her had longed to just stay in bed. Kate had shivered though, at his closeness, and in his sleepy haze, Seth had moved closer. She had felt his hardness pressed against her ass and she had swallowed thickly, instinctively moving back against him so that his body would be flush with hers. A low sound had escaped from Seth’s lips, and now that Kate thought about it, she was sure that he hadn’t meant for her to hear it.

She glanced at Seth who kept his eyes firmly on the road and she bit her lip, wondering whether she would have allowed things to go further. Of course, a part of her longed to have his rough hands on her again, his sweet caress contrasting the hard man that she knew he could be. He had always been soft to her though and she knew it, deep in her heart, that Seth was a good man, no matter the things he had done in the past.

She had done things too, after all. The thought was bitter, but it was there, along with the memories of all the death and destruction she had caused all those years ago. If she had been a little bit stronger, Amaru might not have been able to stay in control for as long as she did. If she had been just a little bit stronger, all those people might not have died.

Kate forced the thoughts away, knowing that it wouldn’t do her any good to dwell on it now. It was done and there was no going back. Leaning her head back, she tried to think of something else, of better times and the fact that she was once again traveling with the Gecko brothers. She had missed them, she knew, and she wondered if they had any plans as to what they were going to do next. As far as she knew, Seth and Richie had been helping Freddie keep the culebras in check but when she had left them five years ago, they had been all about robbing banks again. She wondered what happened to them that made them go back to hunting the creatures of the night. It was a brief thought because when she looked at Seth again, her heart started beating just a little bit faster when she remembered the look in his eyes after she had stepped out of the bed this morning. She wanted to know what it all meant, but she wasn’t sure if pushing him was the right call. After being alone for so long, she didn’t know if she was ready for whatever this  _ thing  _ with Seth might entail. All she knew for certain was that falling asleep next to him and waking up, safe and rested in his arms this morning, had felt better than anything she had ever experienced before.

***

Seth couldn’t get his mind off of it; waking up earlier this morning with his arms wrapped around Kate. The night before, he had fallen asleep easier than he had these past five years. He didn’t want to say that it had to do with Kate, but he would be a fucking liar if he tried to deny it to himself. Sleeping with her had chased away his own nightmares and since she had slept peacefully as well, he had to assume that she too hadn’t been bothered by the terrors that she had mentioned haunted her at night. If anything, Seth figured that his good night of sleep could have to do with him not having to wonder about where Kate might be and question whether she wa safe or not. Having her next to him put his mind at ease and that was most likely why he had woken up feeling properly rested for the first time in years.

Then there was that whole thing with his arms around her and her small hands covering his where they rested under the hem of the shirt she had slept in. It might also have had to do with how the tips of his fingers hand brushed against the top of her underwear, how her back had been tightly pressed against his chest and how his crotch had been perfectly nestled against her ass.

Seth’s grip on the steering wheel tightened and he bit his tongue, trying not to think about how sinfully good it had felt when she had stretched against him when she had woken up or how his grip on her had tightened further when his hard cock had brushed against her firm rear. He didn’t even want to think about the embarrassing, low sound that had escaped him.

“Fucking hell…” Seth muttered to himself under his breath. He glanced toward Richie, glad to see that his brother was still humming away along with the song on the radio. Hopefully, Richie didn’t pick up on how Seth suddenly felt a hundred degrees warmer. Seth looked at Kate who sat in the backseat through his rearview mirror. She seemed calm, the sunlight lighting up her face as she leaned against the window. He noted the way her lashes drew shadows on her cheeks and how she looked older in the daylight. Five years had gone by and he had noticed the changes in her the night before, but now that it was day, it was even more obvious that she wasn’t just some kid anymore.

She was a woman.

The memory of how she had gotten out of bed slowly, her long, bare legs just  _ there _ as she once again stretched. Seth hadn’t been able to tear his eyes off of her when she had looked at him from over her shoulder and smiled. His heart had clenched in his chest and it had taken him a moment to remind himself that she was real and that he wasn’t just imagining her being there, like he had done a few times before. Her sleep shorts had ridden up slightly and he had been able to see the curve of her ass. Nearly groaning to himself, he had forced himself to look away from her then, but he was one hundred fucking percent sure that she was at least half-aware of what she was doing to him.

Kate’s eyes flickered up, meeting his in the mirror. Seth continued to look at her though, not shying away from her gaze. He couldn’t help but notice the way that her mouth curved into a small smile, barely noticeable, but it was there. A small smile spread over his own face before he turned his attention back to the road. They would have time to speak later, he decided. When they were alone and ready. For now, Seth was perfectly content with the silence in the car, except for the occasional line Richie mumbled along to the music on the radio.

***

A couple of hours later, Seth pulled up at some old diner. They had to eat and Richie had been craving fries for the past hour or two, so Kate was sure that Seth was a little more than annoyed at his brother by now.

“You’re such a child sometimes, Richard,” Seth complained when they made their way into the diner. Kate pushed her sunglasses up, using them to keep the hair that had slipped out of her braid away from her face. Richie countered Seth’s remark with something equally snarky, but Kate didn’t quite catch it as she looked over the people in the place. It had become a habit of hers to always look around whenever she got to an unfamiliar place. One never knew what lingered in the dark corners of a busy room.

They made their order, Kate settling for some crispy fries and and the ‘house burger’, whatever that entailed. Seth ordered her a chocolate milkshake too and for a second, she was close to smiling. It had been an obsession of hers when they had been on their own. He hadn’t forgotten, even after all these years. Dipping fries in a shake was still one of her biggest weaknesses.

When the waitress came around twenty minutes later, Richie’s eyes lit up at the sight of the fries and he immediately dug in.

Seth stared at him, Kate noticed and the older Gecko brother shook his head. “I stand corrected,” he said, giving Richie a pointed look. “You  _ are  _ a fucking child. Always.”

Richie’s only response was to stuff his mouth with fries and glare at his brother. He chewed thoughtfully and Kate looked down at her own food. The burger was greasy, but it looked pretty good. Slowly, she picked it up and took a bite. Closing her eyes, she nearly moaned as the delicious sauce overtook her senses briefly. When she opened them again, her eyes met Seth’s. He was watching her carefully, his lips parted and Kate couldn’t help the way her cheeks heated up slightly. Still not taking his eyes off of her, he stole a fry from Richie who protested loudly, smacking at his hand. Seth didn’t even glance at him when he popped the fry into his mouth, biting down.

Kate averted her eyes, turning her attention back to her own food. She felt warm and she wasn’t sure if wearing a sweatshirt had been a good choice. It was warm outside, the sun was shining and Kate really should have worn something lighter.

“So,” she said after a moment, deciding that she needed to think of something other than Seth’s way of eating. “We didn’t really have time to talk much last night…” she trailed off, leaving the unspoken question hanging. Kate knew that she and Seth had gotten some things said the night before, but their argument, conversation or whatever, had been fueled by emotions. She wanted to know a little about what they had been up to since she left them. It would most likely be awkward between them for a while, but if she was going to stick with them this time, she had to know what they were doing and where they were headed.

“Hm…” Richie hummed around the straw of his own drink. “Five years is a long fucking time to catch up on over lunch,” he pointed out.

“Well, start somewhere and then fill in the blanks as they come,” Kate suggested, swirling her straw in her milkshake. She wanted things to remain light for now. They didn’t need to get into all the painful and heavy things right away. She was certain that there had been difficult moments for them too over the years, although those she could wait to hear. Besides, Seth had already gotten to share some of what he had gone through, especially in regards to her leaving him… Leaving  _ them. _

“We pulled some small jobs for a while,” Richie shrugged, putting his drink back on the table. “Working around me being a- You know,” he winked at her, eyes flashing yellow. “Let’s just say that it was a challenge at first.”

“Challenge?” Seth scoffed, leaning back in his seat. He looked at Kate then. “Richie’s learned how to be out in the sun a bit longer now, but in the beginning… Trust me when I tell you that there were too many close calls of him  _ becoming  _ a fucking crispy fry.”

Seth and Richie continued like that, back and forth, alternating between telling their stories and arguing with one another over how things  _ actually  _ went down. Kate managed to crack a smile from time to time, interjecting with a question or a comment once in a while. She didn’t know if things had ever been like this with them. When she had first met them, they had hardly spent time talking. After everything that went down at the Titty Twister, Richie and Seth had gone separate ways and she had left with Seth. The two of them had traveled through Mexico, arguing and bickering more than anything else. There had been a few serious talks between them though; moments of weakness where their vulnerability had broken through their cracks. Seth had left her on the side of the road and she had found her way back to her old home.

She didn’t like to think about all the things that had happened after that. Her nightmares reminded her of them enough as it was.

Nevertheless, it felt good to listen to Seth and Richie now. Hearing them bicker, listening to their stories and learning what they had been up to felt good. Richie shared how one of their jobs had gone wrong and Seth had been shot - “ _ Grazed _ ,” Seth had interjected, - and the two of them had proceeded to go back to helping keep the culebras under control. Kate had turned and looked at Seth then. His hand had lifted to the covered puncture wounds on the side of his neck and he had scratched at his skin, shrugging sheepishly.

“I’ve gotten used to them,” he said, as if that somehow explained it all.

Kate only nodded at him, not really knowing if she should add anything to that. She understood that it was easy to get used to the way that their life had changed since they stepped into the Twister.

“What about you, Kate?” Richie asked, shaking her out of her thoughts for a moment. “How did you get into hunting? Because I’m guessing that’s what you were doing last night, at the factory?”

Kate watched him carefully as he pushed his glasses up the slope of his nose. The night before, Richie had done nothing more than talk to her briefly about how it was okay, whatever it was she was going through. His words of encouragement had been based on the emotions he had picked up from her. She had hardly spoken a word to him, so it must have been that. The man had always been perceptive, Kate knew, so it hadn’t surprised her when he had seen right through her the moment they had been left alone the night before. 

His question now was clearly asked without any ulterior motive. Richie wanted to know what she had been up to, just as she had wanted to know about him and Seth.

“I got my GED,” she started slowly, almost hesitantly. “Got into college. I was okay, for a while, at least.” She cleared her throat, feeling how Seth and Richie’s eyes zeroed in on her. Their attention was on her now and she wasn’t really sure how to proceed. She had to be honest with them, she knew. They had to know what kind of a person they had invited back into their lives again. “Nightmares come and go,” she said. “I went to a party with my roommates because I thought I could be normal for a night… I almost ended up stabbing a guy because I thought he was a demon.” She lifted her eyes, locking them with Seth who continued to watch her, speechless. “People thought I was crazy. I got my own place, graduated and eventually decided that I wanted to slay my demons. Thus, hunting,” she said, wrapping the story up quickly. There really wasn’t more to it, except maybe the fact that what Amaru had done through her still haunted her at night.

She watched the brothers, but they didn’t speak for a while. She took a bite from her burger, keeping her eyes trained on Seth’s face. If he was thinking something, he didn’t show it on his face. She wanted to know what was going on inside his mind.

“At least we know you’re still a badass,” Richie said, trying to lighten the mood. It didn’t work, but Kate smiled nonetheless and that seemed to do it.

***

They decided to check into another dingy hotel for the next couple of nights. Seth knew that they had to set a plan for what they were going to do. The factory in Chappell Hill had been a bust and they had almost gotten killed because he and Richie hadn’t expected such a big nest of snakes. With Kate back, they needed to sit down and discuss where they wanted to go from here on out. It wasn’t just up to him and Richie now, so all three of them had agreed that a small break was necessary to reassess their plans.

Richie had opted to wait in the car this time while Seth went to see if there were any rooms available. Kate wanted to come with him and he didn’t exactly have it in him to stop her. When they entered the building though, Kate quickly reached out to take his hand, making him stop. His hand warmed with the contact and he looked down at her.

“Kate?” Her name was a question and she seemed to hesitate, brushing loose strands of hair back from her face. She really needed to re-do her braid.

“I… Last night,” she said, biting her lip.

Seth tried to focus, but it was getting more difficult by the second with the way that her teeth chewed on her lower lip. “What about last night?” he asked, needing to know what she was going to say.

“I think it might be better if we got three rooms this time,” she rushed out. He blinked a couple of times, his gut feeling like it had been punched repeatedly. “If there are rooms available, I mean. I think I might need to keep to myself tonight. To think,” she tried to clarify, but it wasn’t making much more sense to Seth. The only thing he kept hearing in his head was that he had overstepped and made her uncomfortable this morning. 

Fuck his life and fuck him for not being able to control himself better around her. Even now, as she looked at him, bright eyes looking desperate for him to understand, he couldn’t focus on anything other than her lips.

“Yeah, yeah… I’ll-” He cut himself off and shook his head. When he met her eyes again, he offered her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. “If it makes you more comfortable, I’ll do my best. Whatever you want, Kate,” he told her and he meant it. He wasn’t going to push her to sleep next to him if she didn’t want to, no matter if it had been the best sleep he had gotten in years.

“It’s not that I wasn’t comfortable last night, Seth,” Kate said, forcing him to look at her again. She squeezed his hand and he realized that she was still holding it. “I just think that it’s better if we...take some time. Am I making any sense?” she wondered.

She was and yet, in a way, she wasn’t. Seth nodded either way. “Yes,” he said. “I get it.” He squeezed her hand back as reassurance and then turned back around, walking up to the reception.

There was a three room apartment available, of course, and later that night, Seth sat on the couch with his brother and Kate, watching some lame tv-show that he couldn’t focus on, because Kate was  _ right next to him _ and she was smelling like fucking strawberries. She had taken a shower earlier before settling in on the couch. After an hour or so of pure torture, Kate announced that she was heading off to bed. She wished them a good night and entered her room, closing the door after herself.

“Not a word,” Seth told Richie, finger raised to silence his younger brother who looked as if he had been reading Seth’s mind. Shortly after Kate left, neither of them saw a point in staying awake. Richie would probably go out and hunt, but Seth decided to turn in as well. It was difficult to fall asleep, and he berated himself because there was no fucking way that he had gotten used to having Kate next to him after sharing a bed with her for just one night. Twisting and turning for hours, Seth finally managed to close his eyes for a while.

And then he heard a cry.

Seth shot out from his bed, the gun he always slept with under his pillow heavy in his hand as he bolted out into the hallway. He stopped dead in his tracks when he reached her door though, not knowing if he should go inside. Had she known that this would happen to her? Was this one of those bad nights that she had told them about? Kate had said that she needed time to think, so would he be pushing it if he barged in there and woke her up?

Slowly, he found himself sinking to the floor outside her room. Placing the gun on the floor next to him, he furrowed his eyebrows as he listened to her whimpers. Everything inside of him was screaming at him to go in there, but she didn’t want that. He had sworn he would give her time and it hurt him to not go to her, although he didn’t think he had a choice. Seth didn’t want to suffocate her; he didn’t want her to realize it was too much, that  _ he  _ was too much, and have her decide to leave again.

The door to Richie’s room opened and his brother stood disheveled, rubbing his eyes before he looked at him.

“Why haven’t you gone in there?” Richie asked, but he sounded as if he already knew the answer.

“She’s not ready,” Seth mumbled, knowing deep down that he wasn’t either. “It has to be her choice. I can’t…”

He let the silence speak. Kate’s crying stopped, but Richie only nodded curtly before he walked over to the door. Knocking lightly, he opened it, stepping inside the room, whispering Kate’s name. Seth closed his eyes and buried his face in his hands after Richie closed the door after himself.

It was okay. Richie could be there for her tonight, Seth decided. Richie wasn’t confused about how he felt or how Kate would feel. Seth needed time, just like Kate did too. They weren’t ready.

And yet, Seth couldn’t bring himself to go back to his own room. He stayed there on the floor, fell asleep briefly and then woke up when Richie lightly shook him awake, telling him that it was okay to go back to bed.

Seth walked with heavy feet, placed his gun on the desk this time and promptly fell into the bed, drained of emotions.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kate spends some time with Richie and the two of them talk a bit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovely Sethkate fans. This chapter was a bit longer than I originally planned, but oh well. It was interesting to write from Richie's point of view... I hope I did him justice. Thank you to those of you who commented on the previous chapter. I really appreciate the feedback! :) Also, remember people, your thoughts are important! Tell me what you think about the chapters so I at least have an inkling as to whether or not I should keep writing the story! :) Now, please enjoy the chapter! ;) xx

# Chapter 2

Kate walked down the street, shoulders slouched forward. She kept her head down, ignoring the way that one of the men who had gathered outside one of the dinghy bars catcalled after her. Slowing her walk just a little, she glanced over the shoulder to see the men making obscene gestures toward her. Resisting the urge to scrunch up her nose, she instead let her eyes widen, almost a bit too dramatically.

One of the men kept whistling, his eyes following the line of her body hungrily. She understood now why Seth hadn’t wanted her to go out like this. She felt a bit cheap because of the way she was being treated. Anger and annoyance welled inside of her, but she kept going, rounding the corner of the street. Looking back, she saw that the men walked back into the bar, while that one guy who had whistled, continued to look her way. When she saw him start to follow, she slowed her walk even more, making sure that there was time for him to catch up with her. She had worn a pair of tight jeans tonight, ripped at the knees and a short-sleeved black shirt. Her hair was tied back in a braid, as it was most of the time nowadays, stubborn strands falling out of it, refusing to be tamed.

She turned back and saw the man approaching, so she quickened her step and turned into an alley. When she reached the end of it, she knew there was nowhere to run, so she twisted around and faced the man who had a dark look on his face.

“Well hello, little girl,” he sneered, eyes gleaming. They roamed over her body appreciatively again and he took another step toward her. Kate pressed back against the wall, staring at him as she breathed out harshly through her nose. “You looked mighty fine back there, so I had to come and see if I could get a closer look,” the man continued, leering.

“Stay away from me,” Kate said, keeping her voice as neutral as possible.

His beady eyes only darkened further, yellowed teeth lit up by the dim light in the alley. “A sweet little thing like you shouldn’t be walking these streets alone, girl,” the man said, stepping into her space. She turned her head to the side as he closed in on her, his crooked nose brushing against the column of her neck, his hands trapping her against the wall. “Mhm… I can almost taste you on my tongue, sugar,” he said.

“I told you to stay away,” Kate said, eyes steel as she raised her hand and placed it against the man’s chest. She pushed lightly, giving herself some room so that she could turn and face him again. “You should have listened,” she said, lips pressed together.

“Hm… And why is that?” the man asked, still not looking bothered.

A pair of footsteps approached and Kate looked past the man’s shoulder. “Because she’s not alone,” Richie spoke up, meeting her eyes, nodding curtly at her. Kate smirked, lifting her leg up, successfully kneeing the man in the groin. He groaned, cursing under his breath as he turned around to look at Richie. Kate stepped to the side the moment she was no longer pressed against the wall, and watched as the man stared in horror at Richie’s glimmering fangs. The man didn’t even have time to react when Richie pounced, cutting of his cry as he bit into the man’s neck. Kate turned away and this time, she did scrunch up her nose.

***

Richie drank from the man until he knew the man couldn’t take it anymore. He was tempted to continue, but Kate hadn’t agreed to help him hunt for a late night snack just so that he could mindlessly kill people. No, instead, he slapped the man awake again, using his special power on him when he was coherent enough to pay attention.

“You’re going to go home and never touch anyone who doesn’t want to be touched ever again. If you even think about doing so, you’re going to punch yourself in the balls as hard as you can until it never crosses your mind again,” Richie said. “If your buddies ask you about the marks on your neck, you’ll tell them you slipped or something equally imaginative. Got it?” The man stared dumbly, nodding. Richie smacked him up the head for good measure. “Get going,” he said, looking after the man as he stumbled away. Shaking his head, Richie reached for his handkerchief in his suit-pocket. He lifted it to his mouth and wiped away any excess blood before turning around to look at Kate again. She was eyeing him carefully, but she didn’t seem like she was bothered much by what he had just done. Considering that she had become a huntress, Richie hadn’t been sure where he stood with her on the whole culebra front, but it was clear that Kate only hunted those who needed hunting. Richie was aware of how hard Kate had fought to help her brother find an alternative to feeding on humans. It was still the most satisfactory option for their kind, although Richie knew that donated blood could be just as effective. When it came to Kate, he was uncertain about whether she was still hoping to find another way for the culebras to exist among people. He was sure that she wouldn’t actually hurt her brother or even Richie himself, but he figured that she would rather they not actively hunt people. Richie couldn’t speak for Scott anymore because he hadn’t actually seen the kid in months, although Richie only fed on people that he could sense were… Well. _Bad._

The man who had followed Kate tonight had taken the bait and Richie might not have gone as far as he wanted to and killed him, but he knew that his special power had a stronger effect on humans than it did on culebras. Maybe Kate wouldn’t have felt guilty if he had just snapped the man’s neck after feeding on him, but Richie wasn’t going to take any chances and alienate her now that she was with them again.

“I suggest we don’t tell Seth exactly what we were up to tonight,” Kate said after a moment of silence. Her comment sounded so aloof that Richie had to chuckle.

“Yeah, he’s never been comfortable with me doing this,” he said, shrugging as he returned the handkerchief to his pocket. “A snake’s got to do what he’s got to do,” he added, trying to gauge her reaction.

Kate gave him a thoughtful look, head tilting to the side as she watched him, “You’re not a snake, Richie. You’re still good, deep down,” she said.

“How do you know?” Richie said, the question coming out with more bite than he intended.

Kate’s lips twitched and she looked away briefly. He could see her jaw working as she tried to think of what to say, her shoulders were tense again. Finally, she rolled them back and stood straighter, not like she had walked past those men earlier to lure one of them into her trap. She looked older, wiser and more mature than he had ever seen her before.

“I’ve touched your soul,” she said, her voice low but at the same time strong. Richie remembered when Amaru had first touched his skin and gotten him under her spell. He recalled what it had been like to see what he was doing, but not be able to stop it.

“Yeah,” he said, deep in thoughts, “you have.”

***

The night before, when Kate had woken up from one of her nightmares, she had been startled at first to see Richie sitting on the edge of her bed. His hands had been resting in his lap and he had eyed her with concern. The nightmare she had woken from had been mild compared to some of the others she had experienced over the years. Richie hadn’t approached her though, he had only spoken in low tones when he had asked her if she was okay. Kate hadn’t replied for a good while, but Richie had continued to speak, voice low when he explained that he would need to feed and that he would be open to her coming with him, if she needed air.

Kate had initially declined, but when she thought of it, she figured that she could come with him tonight instead. Richie hadn’t asked her about her nightmares and she had appreciated that. She figured that he knew that whenever she was ready to talk about it, she would. The day had been spent resting in the motel room. Kate had laid on the couch and watched the ceiling fan spin slowly, caught up in her own thoughts.

Most thoughts, she begrudgingly admitted to herself, were about the other Gecko brother; the one who hadn’t come to her at night, and who strangely enough didn’t hover over her. Kate had kind of expected Seth to be a little more worried about her. Perhaps he was, because she _did_ feel his eyes on her often, although she hadn’t been able to catch him looking all day. She wondered though, what she would do if she did. Would she ask him what was going through his mind, or question whether or not he had even heard her the night before? A part of her wanted to talk to him about it, open up, but she needed time. She had to figure herself out now more than ever. The past five years she had run away from her problems and the remnants of her time possessed by the Queen of Hell. She couldn’t risk waking up in the middle of the night, choking Seth or sticking a knife into him because she was stuck in her own nightmare.

Seth hadn’t liked the idea of her going out with Richie tonight. Kate, however, had made a point about telling him that she wasn’t a prisoner anymore. Naturally, _that_ comment had made her cringe at the painful memories, whereas Seth had only stared at her impassively. Momentarily, she had wondered what it would have been like to be able to touch him and see what was going through his mind. She hated herself for thinking it, of course, because it only reminded her of the fact that she had once been able to _see_ everything, by just touching his skin. The things that they had been forced to go through back then, the pain and the sorrow that had followed them- that had followed _him_ for so long. Kate might have been a prisoner in her own body, but she had seen Seth’s heartache; she had felt what he had felt when Richie had informed him of her death.

After Amaru, that had been something that they hadn’t talked about. She had never really told either Gecko brother any details of what she remembered. In Matanzas, she had told Seth and Scott that she remembered it all. Two nights ago, when she’d had her argument with Seth, she had admitted to feeling like Amaru still had a grip on her. She was still haunted by the horrors and the crimes that Amaru had committed through her. Kate wasn’t sure just how much of that she _should_ share with Richie and Seth, much less if she should share any of it. She had been keeping a lid on it for so long, unable to accept what had happened to her, and now she feared that things might boil over if she started sharing. That was why she needed to take one small step at a time.

That was also why she was a bit surprised when Richie brought up her nightmare as they made their way back to the car. He had asked her if she wanted to talk about it and instantly, Kate’s mind had played through all her memories and she had lost herself to her thoughts.

“There’s nothing to talk about,” she finally answered. Sensing that Richie wasn’t just going to accept that as an answer, she sighed before continuing, “It’s like I said the other day. I have nightmares. They come and go. Sometimes they’re worse, sometimes I can handle them better.”

“What exactly does ‘handle them better’ mean, Kate?” Richie asked. “What I saw last night, that _fear_ that I felt run through you? That wasn’t your run-of-the-mill, waking-up-in-cold-sweat nightmare. That was something else.”

Kate gritted her teeth as she continued to walk toward the car. She was surprised when she felt Richie’s hand come to rest lightly on her shoulder, but finally she stopped, turning to face him. He met her eyes, looking as if he was searching for something and she wanted to snap at him. She pushed the urge down though, because it wouldn’t do either of them any good. Kate knew that Richie just wanted to help her and be there for her until she was ready to finally start talking about everything she was feeling in more detail.

“That first night, you slept in the same room as Seth,” Richie started slowly. Kate raised an eyebrow at him, silently urging him to go on. She wasn’t sure where he was going with that statement, although she had been fairly sure that he normally never would have brought it up. That was why she was curious to hear what he had to say.

“Did you sleep well that night?” Richie asked.

Kate eyed him, feeling her cheeks heat up a bit. The conversation would most likely be awkward enough as it was. She really didn’t need to make herself out to look like some silly girl with a crush.

“Yes, I did sleep well,” she replied, still trying to figure out what he was getting at.

“Then why don’t you just try to sleep with Seth again and see if it helps you relax?” Richie questioned. This time, Kate couldn’t help but snort. It caused Richie to roll his eyes at her, “You know what I mean.” The pointed look he gave her told her that he wasn’t trying to tease her. He was actually trying to figure out a way for her to solve her nightmare problem. His concern warmed her heart because she remembered how different he had been over five years ago. The night that she had died, before she had been resurrected, she had seen a selfish side to him that she wished she could unsee. When Amaru had used Richie as her pawn, Kate had felt that there had been a change in him since then, but now, five years later, it was even more evident. Richie had found himself in the world as a culebra and now that his brother had accepted him for who and what he was, he had finally been able to become the best version of himself. His humanity truly shone through in this moment and Kate didn’t need to see his soul to know that he was genuine in his attempt to help her.

“I can’t allow myself to get too comfortable with him,” she admitted. The thing was that she wasn’t really sure what to tell Richie, because a part of her knew that it made sense to test his theory. “I can’t push Seth into something that he isn’t ready for. When I have my nightmares, I’m unpredictable. I don’t want to risk hurting him.”

Richie seemed to take that into consideration, biting his cheek before he spoke again. “Look, no offense, Kate, but even though you’re a badass huntress, you’re still half Seth’s size. I think he could probably handle it if you attacked him or something,” he told her. His answer was logical, but she knew that he didn’t fully get it. When she was in a _really_ bad state, she wasn’t sure if anything could stop her. There had been times when she had woken up in the middle of the night with evidence of having clawed desperately at her own arms, drawing blood. She had always assumed that it was her subconscious trying to force her to wake from her dreams by making her hurt herself physically. When she had tried to be a normal college kid, she had once woken up standing over her roommate’s bed, just as she had been about to reach down and choke the other girl to death. She wasn’t sure what it was that had woken her that time, but when she had caught herself with almost hurting someone other than herself, Kate had forced herself into social isolation. That time when she had snapped for real, she had almost gutted some guy who had approached her and tried to flirt with her. The grasp she had on what was real and what wasn’t had been weak back then. She was a bit better now, channeling her anger and hurt into hunting, although it didn’t mean that it couldn’t happen again.

“You don’t know what I’m capable of,” Kate said, her voice low. “ _I_ hardly know what I’m capable of.”

“You can’t run from it, Kate,” Richie told her and she shook her head.

“I won’t, but I told Seth that I needed time. I think he might need it too, so that’s what I’m going to give him,” she said, trying to make him see that she was done with having this conversation.

“Well, whenever you feel like you’re ready, I hardly think Seth would mind,” Richie said, clearly wanting the final word on the matter.

Kate only shot him a look as she got into the car, securing her seatbelt. She decided to give it to him, not saying another word as they made their way back to the motel.

***

Richie was surprised to find Seth awake on the couch when they entered the place they had rented. Raising his eyebrow at his brother, he was rewarded by a scowl that almost made him chuckle. He was surprised though, when Seth stood up and walked over to Kate who seemed to have been waiting for him to move.

“You okay?” Seth murmured, his voice low and not-so-surprisingly gentle. Richie watched as his brother gave the younger brunette a long look, eyeing her from top to toe as if he was trying to make sure that she wasn’t injured.

“I’m okay,” Kate replied, equally low as the corner of her mouth lifted a bit into an uncertain smile. Richie didn’t expect it when Seth reached out, taking Kate’s hand in his for just a moment. He could see his brother’s thumb moving over Kate’s wrist, over the scar that was left behind after Amaru had slit her wrists. Richie hadn’t been in the church when it had happened and he hadn’t been there when Seth had taken one of the biggest risks of his life to try and save Kate. However, his brother had gotten drunk a few times after Kate left them and on a few rare occasions, Richie had gotten out a comment or two about what had transpired in that church.

This was the first time that Richie paid attention to the scars though. He couldn’t remember now if Kate had been covering them up that first night when they had been reunited or not, but now, she wasn’t hiding them away. The fact that Seth was still very much looking into Kate’s eyes while brushing his thumb over the mark on her wrist somehow made Richie feel as if he was intruding on a private moment.

It was fucked up, the kind of emotional tension that always seemed to be present whenever his brother and Kate were in the same room. Richie knew that they must be aware of it on some level, but he couldn’t remember if he had ever been able to pick up on something as strongly as he was picking up on their rather obvious connection. The fact that they were both still clearly in denial annoyed him to no end, although he wasn’t going to be the one to force them to act on whatever it was that seemed to hang between them in their unspoken conversations. It wasn’t his place to speak and they needed to figure out their shit on their own.

“I’m going to head off to bed,” Kate finally said and Richie turned his attention back to them just in time to see Seth instantly let go of Kate’s hand. The younger woman gave Seth another smile, this time weaker because it didn’t quite reach her eyes. Richie stared at the two of them when Kate brushed past Seth, her hand resting on his arm for just a brief second. It was a touch that normally would have gone unnoticed, but Richie saw it and he suppressed the urge to smile himself.

“Good night, Richie,” Kate said, walking up to him. Richie didn’t show his surprise when she offered him a small embrace. It lasted for only a second or two and then she quickly pulled away. She offered him a look of gratefulness and he wondered to himself whether it was because he had allowed her that moment with Seth without any commentary. It was either that, or their small outing and him not judging her for the little information she had given him when they had been on their own.

“Night, Kate,” he called after her, not bothering to look away from Seth even as he heard her step into her room and close the door behind her. He didn’t hear the click of the lock, which was probably a good sign.

Taking in his brother’s appearance, Richie could tell that Seth was beyond exhausted. He knew that Seth had been worried about Richie taking Kate out tonight, but if he had stayed awake to hear the details of Richie’s hunt, Seth was going to be sorely disappointed. What he and Kate had done and what they had talked about would stay between the two of them. He wasn’t going to betray her trust when she had confided in him and opened up, at least a little. It didn’t matter if Seth was his brother. Kate needed time and Richie was going to respect that. If Seth wanted to know something, he should go directly to Kate and ask her. Richie knew that his brother would never do that though, because the man was adamant about letting Kate do whatever she wanted until she was ready to open up on her own to him.

“You should probably get some sleep,” Richie told Seth, who he now noticed was watching him. For a second, Richie wondered if it was jealousy he saw in his brother’s eyes, but he didn’t sense it in the air around them. No, instead, his brother seemed to be almost resigned.

“Is she okay?” Seth asked, defeat evident in his voice.

Richie felt bad for him, he really did. He understood that Seth had concerns because he had heard Kate crying the night before and he had tried to respect her space and not seek her out on his own. Richie knew how difficult that must have been for Seth. It was clear that there was something else going on between the two of them that they still weren’t ready to face yet.

Seth had asked Kate if she was okay and she had told him that she was, but Richie knew that his brother _needed_ the confirmation from _him_ too. After all, Richie had spent most of the night out with her and Seth surely knew that the two of them had talked about something.

“If she says she is, she is,” Richie replied.

“I’m asking you,” Seth clarified, his eyebrows furrowing and his lips pursing slightly.

“If she isn’t, she will be,” Richie said and honestly, he wasn’t trying to be cryptic. It was just the truth. No matter how much easier his culebra senses made it for him to pick up on other people’s emotions, he couldn’t actually read Kate’s mind. Richie knew for sure though that the young woman was strong and some nightmares and PTSD or whatever the fuck it was wasn’t going to be what took her down. He fully believed in Kate and her ability to eventually move on with her life. It might take time and it might be a bumpy ride, but Kate Fuller would come out on the other side, stronger than ever.

Seth seemed to understand what Richie was saying, but he still looked deep in thought as he nodded.

“Get some sleep, brother,” Richie told him, walking over to him. He placed his hand on Seth’s shoulder, catching his attention again. “You need it,” he said and something passed over Seth’s face before he finally nodded.

“Yeah,” Seth breathed out. “G’night, Richie.”

“Good night, Seth,” Richie replied, watching his brother walk down the hallway toward his own room. Richie didn’t miss how Seth paused for a split second outside of Kate’s door, as if he was trying to hear what was happening inside the room. His brother had only faltered for a moment, but it was enough proof to Richie that the feelings that he had suspected Seth of having were still there, even after five years. From the talk that he had shared with Kate tonight, Richie knew that she too felt something for Seth. If she didn’t, she surely wouldn’t be bothering to protect him the way that she was.

It wasn’t his place to meddle, he finally decided when Seth closed the door behind himself. Seth and Kate would have to deal with things in their own time and Richie wasn’t going to force them to do anything before they were ready to. Until then, he would just be there for them, he decided, whenever they needed him. It was the least he could do after they had put up with him and forgiven him for the things he had done in their past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know. Not much Sethkate interaction, but I promise that the next chapter will make up for it! Let's just say, there's a bar involved and some jealousy... Thank you so much for reading. Comments are golden! :)  
> Until next time sweethearts! xx


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kate tries to exhaust herself in order to sleep better and a night out leads to emotions rising.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, thank you so much to everyone who has been commenting so far! Your support means so much to me. All your words of encouragement fuel my writing. Now, please enjoy this chapter and some long-ago promised jealousy! ;)

#  Chapter 3

Kate clenched her jaw tightly and turned her attention to the table top. Her fingers gripped the plastic hard, knuckles white from the effort of just keeping it together. She didn’t know, she didn’t understand. Why was she acting like this?

The music in the bar was loud enough, the flashing neon lights over the lounge area shot small bursts of pain directly to her head. She couldn’t complain though, because she was the reason they were here after all. The nightmares weren’t easy to get rid of and she had wanted to try and exhaust herself to the point where she would only pass out in bed and sleep undisturbed. In the past, it had worked a few times. There was no telling if it would this time around, although she figured it was worth a shot.

The bar-slash-club they had decided to visit was the one closest to the motel that they were still staying at. It wasn’t the old rustic type of bar either, but a rather modern one with more neon lights, plastic chairs and soft couches than wooden stools and top-shelf tequila.

Naturally, there was top-shelf tequila too. That was what Seth had walked off to order for them, but a group of women had intercepted him on the way back to their table. Kate watched now as one in particular, a busty redhead that gave Jessica Rabbit a run for her money, shamelessly flirted and giggled at something he said. There was an easy smile on Seth’s lips too, which only made the feeling that was slowly making its presence known in Kate’s gut worse.

Hence the pounding in her head, the racing of her heart and the tight grip on the table. She was sure that if the table had been wooden and not plastic, her fingernails would have made permanent indents on the surface.

She needed to get a grip on herself.

Glancing toward Seth again, she suppressed the urge to glare at the red-haired woman who leaned closer to Seth, holding the lapels of his shirt as she whispered something in his ear. Bile rose in Kate’s mouth and she quickly turned away from the scene that was without a doubt about to play out in front of her. She had seen Seth’s smirk and his shining dark eyes; she knew what that normally meant for a guy.

“It’s your own fault, you know,” Richie mused from where he sat opposite her. Kate looked up at him, breathing in and out through her nose in an effort to calm the green little monster that she could hear roaring in her ears.

“What?” she spat. “I haven’t done anything.” It was a lie and she knew it. Every last one of her choices during the day had led them to this bar tonight and she didn’t even have a right to feel the way that she was feeling. Seth wasn’t hers, just like she wasn’t his. If he wanted to fuck some random woman in a place that they would never come back to, it was his decision to make.

“Hm… Besides pushing us to agree to come out here tonight, having to approve our outfits to make sure that they were club-worthy,” he motioned to his impeccable suit that he always wore, raising a challenging eyebrow at her as if to ask her whether she actually believed that he didn’t know how to dress after all these years. “Of course, Seth is the only one out of the two of us who would go along with you getting to pick his outfit entirely. I have to say, you’ve managed to make him look like a man on the hunt,” he said lightly. Kate could see that there was actually a hint of amusement in his tone and by the way that his eyes seemed to shine, she knew that he was having a lot of fun watching her squirm.

It wasn’t her fault that she had decided to go shopping earlier today. She had needed to get out of the motel and because they weren’t actively hunting or robbing banks, she needed to do something to get her excess energy out of her body. Especially if she wanted to exhaust herself.

So she had gone all out, using the cards that she had acquired over the past five years with Freddie’s help. They were all under another name so that she wouldn’t leave any traces of Kate Fuller wherever she went, but she had enough money saved there. She also had a slight suspicion that Freddie was in contact with Scott too and that her brother was regularly depositing money into her accounts. Every time she caught up with him, he seemed oddly pleased about her doing well for herself, but Kate had never questioned him about it.

Her need for a distraction had led her to use some of her resources in order to purchase new clothes for herself and her companions. Richie had agreed to wear the new dress shirt she had gotten him, but other than that, he had stuck to his usual suit. Seth had been more accommodating. He had agreed to wear the long-sleeved black shirt she had gotten him along with the new pair of dark jeans. When he had first stepped out of his room to show her the outfit though, Kate’s breath had caught in her throat because she wasn’t sure if she had ever seen him look so  _ casual _ . Yet, Seth pulled off the look and somehow managed to make it look just as fancy as the three-piece suit he normally wore. He hadn’t complained, but he had told her that he couldn’t remember the last time he had worn a normal shirt. Kate had smiled at him and told him that he looked good, which of course was the understatement of the year. Richie had muttered something under his breath that she had been too distracted to catch, but Seth had sent his brother a warning look that had shut him up fairly quick.

Now, Kate realized her mistake, because Seth looked amazing in his new clothes and everyone with a pulse in the locale could see that. She wasn’t really sure what she had expected or what she had aimed for, but Kate hadn’t expected her own reaction to seeing others flirt shamelessly with the man she considered her… 

Well.

He was her partner, she supposed, if one could still say that. Otherwise, he could surely be considered friend at least. It didn’t entitle her to feel what she was feeling now. The bitterness inside of her that made her want to just leave the club all together and the anger directed at herself for the emotions that she didn’t seem able to hide.

“He wouldn’t do it,” Richie suddenly spoke and Kate shook her head, turning her attention back to the Gecko brother who was still keeping her company. “You don’t have anything to worry about,” Richie continued, giving her a pointed look. “You should know that.”

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about, but if it’s what I think it is, Seth is free to do what he wants,” Kate said, eyes narrowing. “From what I know, he’s single. Some company could do him good.”

“Except that it isn’t  _ that _ woman’s company that he wants,” Richie said. He kept his eyes firmly on Kate, but he pointed his finger in Seth’s direction. Kate refused to look and she didn’t need to share her reasons with the world. A minute later though, she was a bit surprised when Seth came back to their table and slid into the seat next to her. He stretched his arm out, resting it on the back of Kate’s chair. Kate looked at him, confusion written on her face as she met his eyes.

With a sigh, Seth finally relaxed when he met her eyes and then he offered her a small smile. “Our drinks will be here soon,” he told her. “I can’t believe this shithole actually has a busy night,” he muttered, rolling his eyes as he once again looked over the crowd. His fingers absentmindedly started playing with the ends of Kate’s hair and she felt something inside of her flutter. Biting her lip, she glanced at Richie who had a smug look on his face. She wanted to reach out and punch him. Knowing that she couldn’t though, Kate decided to lean against Seth, her cheek resting on his shoulder as she looked over the crowd that was dancing. The busty redhead from before was still shooting looks at their table, but Kate buried her smile in Seth’s shoulder, allowing herself to just enjoy the moment.

***

Seth and Kate made their way back to the motel alone. It wasn’t too far away, so the two of them decided to walk since it was a fairly warm night. Richie had left to feed and told them not to wait up for him because according to him the night was still young. Seth could tell by the pointed look that his brother had given him before they separated that there he must have talked to Kate about something when Seth had left them to order their drinks. He had seen the look on Kate’s face too when he had approached them and that had been the main reason that he had put his arm around her when he had finally joined them again. Seth knew that it wasn’t exactly his place to do anything and they had just caught up with one another four days ago, but he wanted Kate to know that she was welcome. If Richie had said anything to her to imply otherwise, he would fuck him up one way or another. Maybe tie him to a chair and let the sun burn his toes just a little…

Kate was quiet as they walked, but she stayed close enough to him to show anyone who crossed their path that she was in his company. Seth didn’t think it was necessary for them to speak just yet. The silence wasn’t bad exactly and he was enjoying just being in her presence. He had thought that going out to a bar with her would be a bad idea, but since they had been reunited, he didn’t really want to say no to her. A part of him understood where she was coming from because he had done the same when he had been younger. The nightmares that had kept him awake during the night were never as bad if he exhausted himself properly before going to bed. Seth hated that Kate was doing that to herself, but he understood why she was doing it. At some point, it was just better to do whatever one could to keep the dark thoughts at bay.

Playing with Kate’s hair at the bar had been unnecessary, although being so close to her and drinking at the same time had loosened him up a bit. He knew that that was partially the reason that Richie had looked at him funnily before he had left them alone, but screw Richard and his comments about the two of them being cute.

When Kate had gone shopping, his brother had practically told him outright that Seth had never allowed anyone to shop for him before. According to Richard, it was  _ ‘endearing’ _ to see Seth so whipped. Seth had stared him down in return and told him to go sleep away the day before Seth decided to shoot him in the head to get a few minutes of quiet.

Seth glanced at Kate now, liking how her hair was a bit frizzy. It had been a while since she had left it down, always opting for braiding it nowadays. Seth almost preferred it when she kept it down because it reminded him a little about the girl she had been before. Of course, he would never want to go back and change the woman that she had become. She was strong and fierce; something that he had always known, but that had become even more prominent during the five years that they had been apart. It was clear to him that Kate was more confident in herself and her abilities and to be honest, there was a fucked up part of him that would love to get to see her in action again. That night when they had found each other she had showed her skills with a sniper rifle. Seth had seen her in a bikini afterward and there was no doubt in his mind that Kate had gotten stronger physically as well. Getting to see her fight someone eventually would be…  _ Interesting. _

Seth shook his head at himself and his dirty mind. He needed to get a grip on himself and focus on what was important. Kate wasn’t okay yet and it would take time for her to be so. Yes, he would never want to change the woman she had become, but he still wished that he could have taken away all the suffering that she had endured over the years and the horrors that still haunted her at night. He felt guilty because he knew that he was to blame for ever getting her involved with the bloodsuckers in the first place. She might have forgiven him for kidnapping her and her family, but it was something that Seth would never forgive himself for.

At times, he thought about what Richie had said all those years ago. Back then, his brother had been even more of a philosopher than he was today, talking shit about  _ ‘eyes meeting eyes’  _ and blood being  _ ‘the conduit of the soul’ _ . Richie had seemed to be a firm believer of things happening for a reason. Back then, it had been Santanico-  _ Kisa _ , Seth had to remind himself- who had led him to the Titty Twister through their mental connection. Seth had always thought that it had been about manipulation, both on Kisa’s part but also in the role that Carlos had played when he had reached out to both Seth in prison and his brother in the woods. These days, whenever he looked at Kate, Seth wondered if maybe him meeting her and crossing paths with her family had been destiny playing its part. It couldn’t be just a coincidence that they had met again after all these years.

They made it back to the motel room and Seth unlocked the door, stepping inside first so that he could check that no one was in there. He had always been paranoid and now, he had someone to protect again, even though he was sure that Kate could handle herself. The fact that she didn’t say anything about his behavior told him that she didn’t really mind him looking out for her. It wasn’t that significant, he thought, but it felt nice not to have to worry about her getting pissed at him just because he was worried that someone might try to take her away from him.

From  _ them. _

Kate shrugged off her jacket and threw it over the armchair of the couch before walking over to the kitchen. She filled up a glass of water for herself and drank it greedily. Seth was just glad that he didn’t have to remind her to hydrate after consuming alcohol. He couldn’t help but smirk when she actually filled up another glass and walked over, offering it to him.

“Sweetheart, I hope you know that I can handle my liquor,” he told her and watched as she tilted her head to the side in amusement, blinking up at him and looking like the epitome of innocence. He knew better though, because there was something sparkling in her eyes too.

“Humor me, old man,” she grinned and he took the glass, gulping down the water.

Seth shook his head at her, placing the glass on the kitchen counter, “I’m not  _ that  _ old, you know.”

“Keep telling yourself that,” Kate said. “Soon enough, you’ll have to retire from hunting, I’m sure. Robbing banks won’t exactly be easy for you once you reach a certain age either.”

“You sound like Richie,” he snorted, shaking his head. “He’s always talking about some contingency plan, asking me if I want him to turn him eventually.”

Kate raised an eyebrow at him. “Would you want that?” she wondered, sounding genuinely curious.

“Would you?” he countered. He cringed when he remembered that her brother had once attempted to turn her against her will. The story hadn’t come from her though, because at that point, they had all thought that she was dead. No, Scott had shared the story one night when he had gotten drunk and Seth had gotten angry at the revelation that the kid had treated his sister like that. Shortly after that, Scott had split from them and started his band.

“I wouldn’t,” Kate shook her head, not looking very bothered by his question. “However long I have left on this Earth, I want to live out my time as a human.”

“A kickass human, you mean,” Seth couldn’t help but tease back, trying to lighten the mood. Just how much had he had to drink? Maybe he  _ couldn’t  _ handle his liquor anymore after all.

“Indeed,” Kate grinned. “I know you know how to protect yourself and fight in a bar, but maybe I could teach you some tricks one day…” Kate trailed off, as if she just noticed how she her suggestion had sounded. There was a hint of red tinting her cheeks and Seth was fairly sure that it wasn’t due to the alcohol.

He looked at her, from top to toe, taking in the tight pants she wore and the top… She had always been beautiful and five years had done nothing to change that. Kate was still stunning and Seth couldn’t think of a day that she wouldn’t be able to take his breath away with just one look.

Fuck, was he a sap or what?

“You could,” he said after a moment, trying not to think about how the rasp in her voice had sent his blood rushing south in his body. He needed to get a grip on himself, for real. “So,” he cleared his throat, “now that we’ve established that  _ you’ll _ teach  _ me  _ some fighting for once, maybe you can tell me what Richie said to you that had you pouting tonight.”

“First of all, I was never pouting,” Kate protested, holding her finger up in warning. “Secondly, when did you  _ ever  _ teach me how to fight, Seth Gecko? Breaking locks, yes, doing recon jobs and stake a place out, sure. Maybe you taught me how to get out of one grip or something  _ once _ , but everything else I learned on my own.”

“Keep telling yourself that, darling,” Seth said. “You were always watching, I could tell. You’re one of those…  _ Watchers _ .”

“‘Watchers’? What does that even mean?” Kate laughed, nose scrunching up adorably, making Seth go all warm again.

“It means that you observed and learned,” he explained. “Don’t try to change the subject, Kate. What did Richie say?”

The smile on her face faded slowly as she held his gaze. He could see her swallow thickly a few times and he wondered whether she too could feel how the tension in the room seemed to have risen suddenly.

“It wasn’t anything he said,” she told him. It didn’t sound like she was lying to him, so Seth motioned for her to keep going. Kate sighed, looking away for just a moment. He could see her jaw clenching once before she turned back to him. “I’m surprised that I didn’t come back here alone,” she admitted, not sounding ashamed at all of her confession.

Seth stared at her, wondering briefly if he was hearing her correctly or if he truly had lost count of how many shots he’d had at the bar. Was she suggesting that she had been upset because she had thought that he was going to take someone home or leave with someone else?

What the…?

“Kate,” Seth started, but then stopped himself. He needed to think about what to say because he could definitely  _ not  _ just put everything he felt at the moment out there, especially not tonight. If this thing, whatever it was, was ever going to play out between them, he wasn’t going to let it be a drunken mistake that they would always regret.

He looked at her for another moment, almost as if he was expecting her to say something else, but Kate was waiting. She had put herself out there and practically admitted that the thought of him going home with someone else had upset her. Seth was nowhere near ready to delve into that one and she certainly wasn’t either. They had a connection, yes, but they weren’t exactly  _ promised  _ to one another, or whatever the fuck else one would say to describe their situation. That first night that they had been reunited, when they had shared a bed, had been one of the best nights of Seth’s miserable life in terms of sleep and contentment. Having Kate in his arms, being close to her like that had meant more to him than any hookup that he had ever had before.

“I wouldn’t do that,” he finally said, not knowing what else he could say without making a confession that neither of them was ready for just yet. It had only been four fucking  _ days _ since they had been reunited. “You have to know that I wouldn’t.”

Kate looked at him and finally nodded. “Okay,” she said and Seth started to relax again. Kate could just as well have asked him to explain why, but she too seemed to understand that they weren’t there just yet. For now, what they felt for one another would have to be left unspoken. There was so much that they needed to deal with before they could focus on themselves again and one of the main things was that Kate started feeling at home with them again. Seth didn’t want her to feel pressured or something because she deserved better than that.

“We should probably get some sleep,” Seth suggested, needing some space now. He wished that he could ask her to join him, but he wouldn’t do that because she had to be the one to come to him.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Kate agreed, running her fingers through her hair. Seth longed to reach out and touch the soft tresses again, but he balled his hands into fists to keep himself from doing so. “Good night, Seth.”

“Night, Kate,” he returned, watching her yet again as she walked away and left for her own room. 

Later, when he made it to his own bed, Seth stared up at the ceiling, thinking about how this was the third night in a row that he was struggling to fall asleep. He heard a muffled whimper in the distance and he shut his eyes tightly, wishing that he could just cross the hallway and lay down in bed with her. She wasn’t ready though, so he needed to keep his distance. He was a bit drunk too and he didn’t want Kate to think that the only reason he had come to her was because of his alcohol-ridden brain. No, one of these days, she would be ready and when she was, he knew that he had to be too.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked the chapter guys! Thank you so much for reading. Please share your thoughts. I am currently working on my thesis, but hopefully, the next chapter will be out in a week! ;) It will contain some discussions on health and an argument... Until next time! :) xx


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On the fourth day, they have an argument.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! This is just me dropping by to leave you guys with an angsty as fuck chapter in the middle of writing my thesis. :) Thank you so much to everyone who has been commenting so far! You have no idea how much your support means to me. I've been going through withdrawals when it comes to Sethkate and I really needed to write this. Sorry for the angst though. I hope you enjoy it and don't hate me too much. Enjoy! xx

#  Chapter 4

Their fourth day together after they were reunited started off well enough. Seth had woken up early and made himself and Kate a greasy breakfast to help with their hangovers. He hadn’t said a single thing about the crying he had heard from Kate’s room the night before. Richie hadn’t been home when the nightmares had woken up Kate, so he didn’t even know that there was something to ask about. Instead, Seth watched his brother sleep soundly on the couch as he cooked. Richie must have crashed there as soon as he got in before sunrise and he seemed to be in a deep sleep. He didn’t even wake up when Seth looked through the cabinets to find what he needed and accidentally dropped a frying pan. Kate had walked out of her room tiredly and joined Seth in the kitchen though. She had watched him scrambling eggs and she hadn’t spoken anything other than a raspy ‘Good morning,’ to him. Seth had tried to act as if nothing was wrong. Everything inside of him had been screaming at him to just ask her how she was. Instead, he had tried to make it about the alcohol they had drunk the night before. Kate had seemed to appreciate him not bringing up the nightmares up. Well, it was either that or Seth had somehow successfully managed to convince her that he hadn’t heard anything the night before. It nagged at him, although instead of talking about him like he suspected they should, they ate their breakfast and he complained about Richie getting blood on the couch.

After breakfast, Kate had told him that she was going out for a while. Seth had been about to protest when Kate had claimed that she needed some fresh air. For a moment, he had just looked at her and wondered to himself if it was her way to ask for space. Seth had been on the verge of asking her if she wanted company too, although he stopped himself. If Kate needed a moment alone, he owed it to her, he knew. Besides, he could use the quiet to look at some maps and figure out where they would be off to next. They couldn’t stay in this shithole of a town forever. It had only been a few days since they had last hunted down rogue culebras, but Seth was starting to get restless. He needed to do something and quick, but that either meant going hunting or pulling a job. Seth wasn’t the one calling the shots on his own though, because now he had two companions who also had a say in things. If he wanted to leave town and figure out their next move, he knew that he needed to involve Richie and Kate too. Needing time to get a plan ready had been the one thing that kept Seth from asking Kate if she wanted him to come with her. That as well as him wanting to give her the time she needed to be alone.

For a while, Seth managed to distract himself. He did as he had planned; checked maps and made preliminary plans for the next couple of days. Seth got lost in his work, managing to shut out Richie’s light snores from the couch. His stomach growling brought him back to the present and all of the sudden, he was made aware of how much time had passed. Seth checked his watch and frowned, realizing that Kate had been out for a good couple of hours already. At first, he felt the urge to go after her, but then he took a breath that did absolutely nothing to calm him down and decided to give her another hour. The thing was, half an hour later, Richie woke up and told him that he was being ridiculous for pacing and that Kate was fine.

“She doesn’t need you to be her babysitter, Seth,” Richie rolled his eyes at him. “Kate can take care of herself.”

“That’s not what this is about, Richard,” Seth growled. “Something isn’t right. I can feel it.”

Richie raised an eyebrow at him, frowning deeply. “Seth, brother, listen,” he said. “Kate’s  _ fine _ , okay? She took a longer walk and she’ll be back soon. Take a fucking breath and sit down.”

Seth turned on him, stepping up to his brother. He pointed his finger at him in warning. “Don’t fucking tell me what to do, Richie,” he snapped. “I am telling you that something feels off.” He was itching to go out after Kate and look for her. Something didn’t feel right and if there was one thing Seth trusted, it was his gut.

“Give her time, Seth,” Richie said, this time sounding less annoyed. He sounded genuinely concerned now, as if he had read something into Seth’s words. “Give her time to come back on her own.  _ Trust her  _ to come back.”

Maybe that was what it all came down to. Seth wasn’t sure what it was that made him feel like this, but he supposed that a part of him feared that what he had said the night before might have spooked Kate. She had started the conversation by admitting that she hadn’t enjoyed seeing other women throwing themselves at him. Seth had only tried to assure her that he didn’t care about those women and that he would never actually go home with someone else for a quick roll in the sheets. He hoped that the meaning behind his words had gotten through, that Kate had managed to read between the lines of what he had said. Her going for a walk and not coming back for hours was still making his gut twist though. Seth didn’t know where she was and he had checked her room earlier and seen that she hadn’t taken her phone with her. He had tried to calm down and breathe, but it was no use.

Seth started pacing again and Richie finally shut up. Somehow, he managed to wait another half hour and Richie officially stopped commenting on his uneasiness. This wasn’t just Seth freaking out because Kate had been out since morning. The sun was starting to set, which meant that she had been gone all day long. Seth had been so distracted that he hadn’t even noticed how much time had passed. He was cursing himself for being so lost. There was a part of Seth that was afraid that she had decided to leave again. If she hadn’t, something might have actually happened to her. She could have been attacked, hit by a car or even kidnapped. There were bad people in this small town, and Seth wanted nothing more than to just go out and look for her. He gave her another fifteen minutes, but after checking his watch again, he shook his head and grabbed the keys to his car. He was done waiting around when something might have happened to her.

“Fuck this, I’m going out,” Seth said. He reached for the handle on the door but was forced to take a step back so that it wouldn’t slam into his face when it opened. Stepping aside, he watched with his mouth open as a disheveled looking Kate made her way into the apartment. She had taken off her leather jacket, sweat dripping from her forehead and her hair was matted and frizzy. Around her elbow, a white bandage stuck out and Seth’s eyes narrowed when she let out an exasperated sigh, pushing past him without a word. Seth stood absolutely still, his hand still on the door handle, keys in his tight grip. He heard her moving behind him as she walked to the kitchen and filled up a glass of water to herself.

“What happened to you?” Richie asked, being the first to speak. Seth clenched his jaw as he slowly shut the door again, the keys still in his hand. The metal was digging into his skin but he forced himself to take a few breaths because he didn’t want to snap without finding out what had happened first.

“I was walking through the park and felt a little dizzy,” Kate explained. “So, I sat down but the heat kind of got to me and the next thing I know, I’m waking up to some woman organizing people to take me to the local clinic.”

She said it as if it was a normal thing. To black out and then have some stranger take her to the hospital or whatever. Seth turned toward her slowly, placing the keys in his pocket. He stared at her as she drank her water and his eyes kept being drawn to the bandage on her arm.

“They pumped some fluids into me and I felt a lot better,” Kate explained. “I’m okay now. I was just tired, I guess.”

Seth tried to process her words. Every muscle in his body was tense and he could feel Richie’s eyes on him. He knew that there was no way that he could contain his anger now. The worst part was probably that his anger actually stemmed from the worry he had felt and the realization that he had been right to be concerned. Richie had been dismissive before, insisting that Kate was all right, but Seth knew that he should have gone with his gut feeling and just gone after her.

“You  _ guess? _ ” he repeated, his voice dangerously low. For a moment, it felt as if the air had been sucked out of the room. Seth saw how Kate’s shoulders tensed and how Richie shifted on the couch. “You think that fainting and having to go to a hospital is a fucking joke or something,  _ princess _ ?”

Kate’s eyes narrowed at the nickname and her lips pressed together in a thin line. “I know it’s not a joke, Seth, but I’m fine,” she said.

And that was how the argument officially started and the day really went to shit.

***

The next thing either of them knew, they were headed for a massive blowout. Seth’s question and Kate’s dismissive response quickly escalated into words being spewed between the two of them that they would both most likely regret later on. Kate knew that Richie was torn between leaving the two of them alone to handle it and staying to make sure that neither of them actually ended up taking things too far.

Kate couldn’t help but wonder what  _ was  _ too far for her and Seth?

When she had gone out in the morning, she hadn’t meant to stay out so late. She understood where Seth was coming from, but she didn’t need him to watch over her like some guardian. Kate was old enough to take care of herself and yes, she knew that losing consciousness in a park wasn’t a good thing, but she didn’t want to think about that now. She was back and she knew that she would have to start sleeping again, nightmares be damned. If she could get in just a few more hours of sleep, she should be fine. She could eat more and drink more water too, like the doctor who had checked on her had suggested she do. The heat these days was almost sweltering and Kate knew that she hadn’t been hydrating enough.

“You think it’s funny to hear you talk about some random person taking you to the clinic?” Seth snapped at her.

“I am  _ fine _ , Seth,” Kate glared back. “I was just tired and I’m doing better-”

“Of course you’re fucking tired because you haven’t been sleeping!” Seth shouted. “You’re exhausting yourself because you refuse to shut your fucking eyes for more than an hour or two. Don’t you think I hear you at night?”

Something cold washed over Kate, but she stood her ground. She knew that Seth had most likely heard her the night before, but she didn’t know what to do. She couldn’t keep dreaming about the people she had killed because she could still feel the way that the darkness inside of her was chipping away at the good parts that were left. If she kept seeing everything that Amaru had done through her, she wasn’t sure that she would be able to survive.

“I couldn’t sleep,” Kate said through clenched teeth.

“Yeah and you’re going to end up killing yourself like that,” Seth returned. “Jesus fucking Christ, Kate. I am not going to sit and watch you do that.”

“Kill myself?” Kate repeated, her mind filling with images of her mother in bed, swallowing pill after pill. She saw her father who had begged her to put a stake through his heart, as an act of mercy. She remembered how his eyes had changed and how she had spent weeks in Mexico wondering whether she had been too late to save him from damnation.

“Do you really think I’d do that?” she asked, her voice quiet. Inside of her, she could almost hear the whispers in her mind as they taunted her. One of them sounded too much like  _ her _ , and for a moment, Kate’s mind went blank. She remembered the way that Amaru had mocked her, telling her that she wasn’t strong enough to just end things on her own. The memory of Amaru slitting her wrists to drain her; the images flashing before her eyes before consciousness returned to her and her eyes settled on Seth’s worried expression and bloodied face.

“Hey, guys,” Richie said, clearly trying to interject now. Kate didn’t move her eyes away from Seth though. She wanted to see the truth in his eyes; she  _ needed  _ to see it.

“You don’t know what it feels like,” Seth started, his voice dangerously low. “You don’t know what it’s like to have to worry that you won’t come back one day because you didn’t see a fucking car while crossing the road because you’re too fucking tired!”

“I  _ do _ know what it feels like,” Kate snapped, stepping into Seth’s space. She ignored Richie who was still trying to step between them. Her ears were ringing and her blood was rushing straight to her head. She felt warm and inside her chest, something clenched painfully. “I fucking lived with  _ you _ , Seth! For months, while you were shooting up, or have you forgotten?” she challenged. Seth’s hard look faltered and she knew that she had him, but she was going in for the kill now, her temper a raging fire inside of her. “I had to come back every morning to the crappy rooms we stayed in, afraid that the only person I had left would be dead. But you didn’t care about that then, so why the fuck would you care now?”

He stared down at her, his jaw clenched and eyes never wavering from hers. She felt his breath against her face and she could see the rapid movement of his chest as he breathed. They were broken, she realized then. They were both so utterly broken and fucked that she wasn’t sure there was any chance of repairing them.

“Shut the fuck up, the both of you,” Richie hissed, finally managing to push between them. Seth staggered back and Kate didn’t fail to notice the heaviness in his steps as he turned half away from her. “Kate, what happened isn’t okay,” Richie said. “You can’t leave without your phone like this anymore. If you’re staying with us, we need to be able to contact one another. If something happens to you, we need to know so that we can come and be with you,” he told her. “You’re family, Kate. And  _ you _ ,” he continued, turning to Seth. “You need to calm the fuck down because we will be kicked out of this place if we keep yelling like fucking idiots.”

Seth turned away fully, putting his back to Kate. Her heart dropped to her stomach and the words she had said to him and the things he had said to her started replaying in her mind. They had gone too far with one another. It had been uncalled for and she knew that deep down, neither of them meant what they had said. Their words had been spoken out of fear and hurt. Kate wasn’t sure she would be able to keep doing this.

She opened her mouth to apologize, wanting him to know that she hadn’t meant what she had said. Yes, the fears she had spoken of had been true at the time, but years had passed and she wasn’t thinking about the things that had happened during their months together. Seth had had his own issues back then; he had been in prison for five years before the Titty Twister and he had never even spoken to anyone about the things he had gone through there. She had seen it all, when Amaru had touched his soul. The things his father had done to him, the beatings and the fear that the man who should have loved and protected him above all had installed in him… Seth had been all fucked up and twisted inside. His ways of dealing with it had been destructive, but he was better now. She knew it.

The words didn’t come though. Her lips remained parted as Seth walked away. His hands were balled up into fists and he headed straight for his room, shutting the door after himself quietly. Kate let out a shaky breath, chest constricting painfully. It would have been easier if he had slammed the door. His silence only meant that she had hurt him deeply; that her words had lashed at his very soul and that he didn’t know how to react. He was avoiding her because he didn’t want to make things worse and she understood that.

She was just as fucked up and twisted as he had been before, and maybe still was to some extent.

Kate took a step in the direction of his room, but Richie stepped in to stop her. He set a hard gaze on her, lips pressed together.

“I think it’s better we all go to bed,” he said. The message was clear: Don’t go after Seth. Kate nodded curtly and looked down at her hands, shame filling her for the way that she had reacted. Seth had had every right to be upset with her dismissiveness of her own health problems. For some reason, he  _ cared _ about her. She had seen it a couple of nights ago at the pool; felt it in the way that he had held her that night that they had been reunited. She had made the mistake of pushing him away when she should have held on. Her fear of him becoming a crutch after so many years had driven her away from him, and she was regretting it.

“I’m sorry, Richie,” she mumbled, walking past him toward her own room. She hoped that she could get at least a few hours of sleep.

Of course, her nightmares had never been worse than that night and her thoughts of Seth kept her up long after the terrors of her mind shook her awake.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry. Please, tell me what you thought and I promise you guys that their argument will be resolved in the next chapter. Hopefully, you'll enjoy some light after so much darkness (I mean, just look at that fourth picture in the official edit for this story!). I think the final chapter in this fic will be a bit shorter, so hopefully, I'll be able to get it finished in a week. This upcoming week I'll be focusing on writing the analysis of my thesis, so yeah. Sorry for babbling.
> 
> Lots of love and until next time, hang in there! xx


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day after the argument forces both Kate and Seth to realize some things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry that it's taken me months to get this chapter finished and posted. I'm not gonna waste your time with a long explanation, so instead, I just hope you enjoy this final chapter of this installment in the "Five" series. xx

#  Chapter 5

The following day, Kate wasn’t entirely sure how she managed to get out of bed. Sluggish and tired, throat hoarse and eyes puffy from crying all night, she made her way to the bathroom. She showered quickly, the water cool against her skin as she tried not to think about the haunting images of the souls that Amaru had consumed and the people she had hurt as they flashed before her eyes. Her heart was heavy, but not merely out of guilt for the ones that she hadn’t been able to save and protect. No, her mind seemed to be set on repeating the words she had thrown at Seth the night before. The look he had given her and the way that he had just walked away from her, quietly closing the door to his bedroom was an image that she hadn’t been able to get rid of.

Her chest ached with the thought of it and once she finished getting dressed, she sought him out in his room. Knocking twice, Kate frowned before trying to open the door, finding it unlocked. Seth was nowhere to be found. His bed was made and she almost rolled her eyes at his tidiness. As she made her way to the kitchen, her fatigue was starting to catch up with her again. Another restless night hadn’t been what she had needed. No, she should have at least tried to get some sleep, although there had been no way for her to do so with the argument between her and Seth still fresh in her mind. She had to apologize for the things she had said.

In the kitchen, however, she only found Richie who was reading the comic strips in the newspaper.

“Hey,” she said, a bit unsure of how to approach him considering how they had ended things the night before.

“Morning, Kate,” Richie responded, looking lost in his own world for another moment. He looked up at her after chuckling at what he had been reading and his smile instantly fell. “Wow, you look like shit.”

“Way to make a girl feel good about herself,” Kate said, shooting him a glare. She took a seat opposite him, reaching for the carton of milk and the cereal that he had left out on the table. She took his already used bowl and prepared the cereal for herself, ignoring his scrunched up nose from when he grabbed his spoon. “What?” she challenged. “Weren’t you finished?”

“I thought having a sister would be fun, but this ‘I don’t give a fuck’-thing you have going on is getting tiresome already,” Richie said.

“Do you go around kissing all of your sisters, or am I just special?” Kate raised an eyebrow.

Richie groaned, “I won’t even respond to that.”

“You just did.”

“Shut up, Kate.”

A smile played on her lips and she felt a bit more at ease. She hadn’t meant to bring up the kiss that she and Richie had shared in the Titty Twister because she knew that a part of him hadn’t really been aware of what he had been doing when he had closed the distance between them. That was done and over with, history, in Kate’s eyes. She had wanted a way out of the place and she had thought that Richie could talk sense into Seth.

She cleared her throat when the thought of him made her smile falter.

“He left just before you woke up,” Richie said, giving her the information she hadn’t even asked for yet. “I’m sure he just needs some space. He’ll be back later.”

“Did he say that?” Kate wondered.

“No,” Richie replied. “He didn’t actually say anything. Didn’t as much as look at me when he walked past me.”

What a way to make her feel better. Kate didn’t say anything as she looked down at her bowl of cereal, suddenly not feeling very hungry. Her words from the previous night came back to her and she knew that it was no wonder that Seth had pulled away from her. Richie, on the other hand? He hadn’t said anything to Seth and it hurt Kate that it was her harsh words that had made the man push away his brother too.

“Hey,” Richie said, tapping the table gently to get her attention. She looked up at him and saw the frown on his face. “Whatever is going on inside your head, stop it, okay? He’ll be back later and then I’ll make myself scarce, give you two some time to talk shit out.”

“I wouldn’t even know where to start discussing the things we said last night,” Kate admitted.

Richie raised an eyebrow at her. “Maybe with an apology?” he suggested.

He was right, of course. Kate knew that if she wanted to make up with Seth, she needed to apologize as soon as she got the chance to do so. She only hoped he would hear her out when she approached him.

“Now,” Richie continued. “How about we talk about why the bags under your eyes are the size of Texas? Did you get any sleep at all last night?”

“Some… Not much,” Kate replied, eyes drifting down again.

Richie hummed silently, crossing his arms as he leaned back a bit. He was quick to take in her appearance and Kate waited patiently for him to say something else. She could tell that he was dying to do so. “You should stay in today,” he told her after a while. “Your little adventure didn’t do you any good and with Seth out, I can’t take the risk of letting you go out on your own. I mean, it’s not like I have a built-in Kate-sense that tingles every time something is wrong,” he said.

Kate lifted her head up, eyes narrowing. Built-in Kate-sense? What was he talking about? Before she could ask him though, Richie decided to keep talking.

“Maybe you should try and catch up on some sleep,” he suggested. “I’ll keep an eye out for Seth and an ear on you. If I hear that you’re twisting around too much, I’ll make sure to come and wake you. Deal?”

Kate was about to protest, but the look on Richie’s face told her there was no point to. Instead, she sighed to herself, her eyelids already heavy. “Okay,” she said. “Deal.”

***

Seth made his way into the motel as quietly as possible. He passed the guy at the front desk, nodding quietly as the man greeted him with a slightly suspicious look. Yeah, it was definitely time for them to move on from this place. Last night they could have been made with the way that he and Kate had been screaming at one another. When he had gone out this morning, one of the cleaning ladies had told him that there had been some complaints made the night before. Seth knew it was only a matter of time before the owner kicked them out and he’d rather they leave of their own volition before that.

His chest felt tighter at the thought of the young brunette he had argued with the night before. The things that he had said to her; about her killing herself slowly because she wasn’t allowing herself to sleep… He knew that he shouldn’t have said them. The words had been hurtful and cruel and he had felt himself reverting to the person he had been during the bad moments that they had spent alone. The months that they had been running around in Mexico after the Titty Twister had been some of the worst months of Seth’s life, but fuck it if they hadn’t also been some of the best ones too. He didn’t fully understand it himself. All he knew was that there had been moments that they had shared when he had felt her infectious smile get the better of him. They had just barely escaped from the fucking  _ Temple of Doom _ and their brothers had been lost to them and the girl had still somehow managed to find something to smile about. It had been ridiculous, but Seth’s lips had twitched up at the corners because he hadn’t been able to help himself. The moments were few and far inbetween, although somehow, in Seth’s mind, they were worth all the heartache. It was difficult to explain and it wasn’t until later, when he had months to reflect on their time alone that he realized that he might have felt something for her even back then. His protectiveness of her at the Twister had stemmed from him wanting to keep his promise to her as well as some inexplicable need to keep the glimmer of light inside of her alive. Later, he had been trying to keep that same light protected from the rest of the world… He wondered, if he on some fucked up, selfish level had wanted to keep it for himself.

Seth shook his head and unlocked the door, stepping inside only to find the place silent. He paused for a moment, trying to make out any sounds that would indicate that something was off.

“She’s been in bed all day.”

“Jesus fucking Christ!” Seth exclaimed, instantly pulling out his gun, pointing it at Richie who had suddenly turned on the lights. He took a deep breath, stared at his brother who had quirked an eyebrow at him, a frown on his face. “You’ve watched one too many fucking movies, Richard,” he hissed under his breath, putting the gun back in its place. When Richie didn’t say anything, Seth finally managed to register his words. “She’s been resting?” he asked, swallowing thickly.

“Or something,” Richie confirmed. “She’s woken up a few times, but always settled right back in. I had a talk with her.”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean? You ‘had a talk’ with her?” Seth said, using air-quotes and sarcasm in his voice to get his point across. Truth be told, he didn’t really know what his point was.

“I told her that what happened yesterday can’t happen again, among some other things,” Richie explained. “That’s between me and her, though.”

“And now you’re what? Waiting for me to come home so you can go all  _ dad  _ on me too?” Seth mocked. “Last time I checked, dad’s been dead for years and I don’t fucking need a replacement.”

Seth could feel Richie’s eyes burning into him, but he couldn’t bring himself to care right now. He didn’t need a babysitter. No matter if he was grateful that Richie had talked to Kate and made her stay inside, Seth couldn’t bring himself to talk to his brother about the thoughts that had been circling around inside his head.

“Look,” Richie sighed. “I’m just going to tell you this once, and I will never mention it again, okay?” He paused for a moment and when Seth didn’t reply, he clearly took it as a sign to keep going. “This bullshit between you and Kate needs to stop. You’ve been going around the issue instead of dealing with it head-on. If there’s one thing you guys should be aware of by now, it’s that life is too fucking short for you mere mortals.”

There was a teasing tilt to Richie’s tone and Seth couldn’t help but snort. He avoided his brother’s stare, knowing deep down that he was right. Whatever he and Kate had been doing, it had to stop. First of all, he knew that he needed to apologize for the things that he had said the night before. Then, there was the matter of the guilt he felt over everything he had put her through. That was the one thing that weighed him down more than anything.

_ “You don’t know what it’s like to have to worry that you won’t come back one day.” _

_ “I  _ do _ know what it feels like. I fucking lived with you, Seth! For months, while you were shooting up, or have you forgotten?” _

The argument had been running through his mind ever since he had walked away from her. He had turned his back on her then, because he had known how unfair he had been. She had suffered through so much shit because of him and a part of him was still desperately clinging to the idea that she might one day forgive him for it all. It was fucked up and wrong and he shouldn’t expect anything at all from her. She didn’t owe him her kindness or loyalty; she should have left him on the road the moment they were safely away from the culebras at the factory. Maybe, he should have never talked to her that night after they were reunited. Perhaps he should have let her go.

Seth felt heavy, his gut-wrenching at the mere thought of it. He couldn’t imagine going a day without seeing her now that he had her back. For five years he had walked around empty, wondering to himself if things could have been different if he had fought to remain by her side instead of letting her walk away. He couldn’t believe that he was actually contemplating whether or not he should leave. Even doing so for a few days, to give them both some time to cool off and think about what they wanted would without a doubt make him feel miserable. He had spent the whole day away from her and he wished now more than ever that he could just go to her and tell her how sorry he was for everything that went down the night before. It wouldn’t erase what they said, but maybe it would give them a chance to heal.

His eyes were stinging by the time that he finished his trail of thoughts. He looked up at Richie who was watching him patiently, as if expecting an answer to what he had said. Yeah, Seth knew that there were some unresolved things between himself and Kate. He didn’t need his brother to remind him of the almost unbearable tension that was the result of so much more than just sexual frustrations. It was already late though, and since Kate was probably asleep, he’d have to wait until the morning to apologize properly and maybe ask her to come with him so they could speak on their own. Richard would most likely make himself scarce if Seth gave him a pointed enough look.

“I’m off to bed,” Seth mumbled, already starting for his room. His entire body felt tense as he walked and he knew that his night would be just as restless as his day. Richie didn’t say anything else, and somehow, that made it all even worse.

***

Even though her eyelids felt heavy, they fluttered open slowly. Her breathing was slow and she took in her surroundings. It didn’t take her more than a second to recognize the room that she had been staying in for the past couple of days. Her clothes were sweat soaked and she knew that she’d had another nightmare. This time though, her awakening hadn’t been as abrupt as it sometimes could be and Kate had already forgotten most of what had occurred in the horrid dream. She only knew for sure that it had been about her father.

Amaru had always taunted her about that particular moment in her life. When she wasn’t able to make her doubt that Seth cared about her on some level, the Queen of Hell had tried to hit her where her guilt had always rested since the Twister. Sometimes Amaru had forced Kate to revisit and play the scene over and over again, all so that she could try and prove to Kate that she had been too late in killing Jacob. Kate hated knowing that it might be true and that her father had never gotten the peace he deserved.

Turning on her side, she reached for her phone, checking the time. It was 3 AM, which meant that Richie was probably out feeding and Seth had most likely returned from wherever the fuck he had been. Her throat felt dry and she sighed to herself before pushing off the bed. Straightening the thin top she slept in, Kate made her way out of her room. She walked to the small kitchenette and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, gulping down half of it. A couple of drops trickled down her chin and she wiped them away with the back of her hand, leaning against the counter as she tried not to think about what she was going to say to Seth when she spoke to him next time. She needed to apologize, but so did he. They had both hurt one another and she was tired of pretending that either one of them was more right than the other.

A crash startled her out of her thoughts. Kate turned quickly, instantly on high alert. She stared into the dark hallway, taking a calming breath as she put the glass back down on the counter. Slowly, she made her way towards Seth’s room. Leaning closer, she pressed her ear against the door, hoping that she would hear his familiar snores. Instead, she felt herself flush at the sound of rapid breathing and a low moan. Her face warmed when her mind quickly traveled into inappropriate territories. She swallowed loudly, pulling away from the door.  _ Was he really-? _

“Kate….”

She froze at the sound of her name. Seth was moaning her name, she realized, flushing an even brighter pink than before. The confusing emotions that were swirling around inside of her mind took a backseat though, when she realized that the moans weren’t ones of pleasure, but rather  _ pain. _

“Kate,” Seth breathed out, sounding strangled. The desperation in his voice was what put Kate into motion. She opened the door that Seth had left unlocked and stepped into the room. He was thrashing around in bed, shaking his head at whatever it was that he was seeing in his nightmare. Kate’s heart ached at the sight and she made her way toward the bed. Reaching out, she touched his sweaty forehead, not sure whether it was the right thing to do.

The moment she touched his warm skin, Seth’s eyes flew open. They were hazy for a split second and the next thing Kate knew, he had her wrist in a painful grip. Kate gasped when Seth pulled her close, straight onto the bed, before practically covering her body with his. Her legs came up, pressing against his sides, as if a subconscious part of her had moved to keep him close. Seth was breathing hard, his eyes dark and dazed. His hands rested on either side of her head and Kate found that she could neither move, nor turn away from him.

”Seth,” she whispered, struggling to reach for his face. Somehow she managed to pull her arm out from under him and she gently touched his sweaty forehead.

Seth let out an uneven breath, eyes falling shut for just a moment. ”Kate,” he whispered back, collapsing against her, his face burying in the crook of her neck. His body trembled as Kate wound her arms around his frame, holding him close. ”She took you. She took you again, Kate. I couldn’t stop her… I’m sorry,” he continuously whispered against her skin.

Kate’s throat felt thick as she felt the wetness of his tears soak through her shirt. She held him even tighter. ”It’s not your fault, Seth. I’m here now. I’m okay and  _ I’m  _ sorry too.” Her eyes burned with unshed tears, so she closed them, hoping it would somehow ease the pain she felt. She breathed him in, feeling the weight of his body over hers; she felt safe like this, she realized.

Seth moved up then, but he remained hovering over her. He blinked, taking her in and she could see that he was slowly coming to. For a moment, she was afraid that he would pull back from her, but instead, he seemed to only gravitate toward her. Her hand rested against his cheek, brushing over the rough stubble there. The way he was looking at her made her heart beat more rapidly, and all she wanted to do was close the distance between them.

“I’m sorry,” she told him again, this time sure that he was hearing her. “I’m so sorry, for  _ everything. _ ”

“Kate,” he repeated, and the way that he said her name just made her chest constrict painfully. “You have nothing to be sorry for.”

“No, I do,” she insisted, holding both his cheeks now. He needed to look into her eyes to see just how sorry she was. He had to know. “I didn’t mean what I said yesterday. I can’t judge you for your past, especially not after everything that I did.”

“While  _ She  _ was inside you,” Seth growled and she could feel his fingers tangling in her hair, almost as if he too wanted to make sure that she couldn’t pull away. “I didn’t need a fucking demon inside of me to do the things I did.”

“You’re not evil,” Kate said. “You might have done a lot of bad things, but that doesn’t mean you’re evil.”

Seth leaned closer and now, she could feel his hot breath against her lips. It made her stomach flutter and her nerves spark. His lower body was still between her legs and she hooked her knees over his hips, pulling him even closer. She wanted this, but she wasn’t sure… She wasn’t sure if they were ready for whatever this feeling she knew they both felt might mean. Still, it didn’t stop her from moaning at the way that his grip on her hair tightened slightly. Her eyes fluttered when his lips ghosted close to hers. His nose brushed against her cheek and she could feel his beard scratching lightly against her. It made her wonder how it would feel in other places across her skin.

Kate pushed herself up a little, her lips connecting with the corner of Seth’s mouth. She pulled back, feeling her cheeks warm, not out of embarrassment, but something else entirely. Seth’s eyes were dark as he looked down at her and she swallowed thickly when he moved toward her again, this time with intent in his eyes. She inhaled sharply, but he paused barely millimeters from her. He licked his lips and she could almost feel the wet slide of his tongue against her own mouth. Then he shook his head, closing his eyes as he leaned his forehead against hers.

“It’s not right. Not now,” he said, sounding as if he was talking to himself more than her.

“Seth,” Kate said his name, closing her own eyes, once again going back to enjoying his closeness. This man… This man was one of a kind, she was sure. There had been so many times when she hadn’t known whether he was being selfish or selfless, or if he was doing something for the greater good or just flipping off the world and doing what he wanted. He was complex and infuriating, difficult and stubborn, but somehow, she couldn’t stop feeling what she felt whenever she was in his proximity.

And knowing that he cared for her, despite everything they had spit in each other’s face over the last couple of days, made her care for him even more.

“Okay,” she finally said. “Okay.” She opened her eyes and found that he was already staring at her.

“You have to know, Kate,” he said. “You know, right? You get what I’m saying?”

“I do,” she said, her hand resting at the nape of his neck. “I understand.”

“Good,” he said, shifting slightly so that he could lay on his side next to her. This time, she was almost certain that he would try to make her leave.

He didn’t.

Seth wrapped his arm around her middle instead and pulled her body against his. Her head rested against his chest, the rest of her body flush against his side. Seth’s hand came to rest on his stomach and Kate covered it with her own. She threaded her fingers between his, feeling secure once more when he gently squeezed her hand.

“I’ve had way too many sleepless nights, Kate,” Seth admitted. “I’m tired of pretending.”

“I am too,” Kate said. She turned her head upward, so that she could meet his eyes. Something akin to happiness welled inside of her when she saw how his lips twitched up into a half-smile. “I want to stay here with you, if that’s okay?”

Seth pressed a kiss against her forehead before settling back down on the pillow. “Yeah,” he said, clearly drifting off already. “Ain’t getting rid of me that easy, princess.”

Kate closed her eyes too, feeling a calm wash over her for the first time in days.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This might not have been the ending you guys wanted, but there's gonna be like THREE more installments of this series! The next one will be called "Five Weeks", so I hope you guys subscribed to the series, otherwise you might miss it when I post (and WRITE) it. Thank you so much for all the support you've been showing me so far with my Sethkate fics. I miss seeing Sethkate on screen, but I'll start my re-Watch soon, which will hopefully give me more inspiration. Until next time, lots of love! xx

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are encouragement and fuel. They are worth gold. Thank you for reading and supporting my stories! You can find me on Tumblr (author123456) and on Twitter (Sugar_Pepper666). Feel free to come and scream at me there too. :) xx
> 
> P.S. The photo in the end holds clues as to what will be included in this installment! ;)


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